Stopping
Noise, Odors, & Other Neighborhood Nuisances

CEDS has never encountered a nuisance
that couldn't be solved.

If you and your neighbors are plagued by noise, odors,
traffic, litter, or other nuisances then you're not alone. In fact, a
fourth of all U.S. households suffer some form of nuisance.

Fortunately CEDS has had a great deal of success in
resolving these problems. In fact, we've yet to encounter a nuisance
we couldn't solve. But before paying CEDS several hundred dollars to
eliminate nuisances degrading your quality of life, give our self-help
recommendations below a try. However, if you need help right away,
contact us at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org.

CEDS has been helping people eliminate neighborhood
nuisances for more then two decades. Following is the approach we've
found to be most effective. Further advice, including methods for
identifying and correcting a variety of nuisances, is provided in the free
CEDS book How To Win
Land Development Issues.
In the following paragraphs the person(s) causing a nuisance are referred to
as the responsible party.

Your first
step should always be direct contact with those you believe to be causing a
nuisance.

Be
Reasonable & PositiveWhen approaching the responsible party present your
concerns along the following lines..."Hi. There are some lights
that shine into my bedroom at night. I think the lights are on your
property. I realize these lights are probably important to you.
I'd like to see if there's a way the lights can be changed so they don't
keep me awake while maintaining the benefits they provide for you."

There are usually several ways to solve as nuisance.
Occasionally folks get wedded to the first solution they think of.
Don't make this mistake. Instead consider all solutions as you work
with the responsible party to find that which works best for everyone.

Generally
you'll find it most difficult to resolve a nuisance if it appears you and
your neighbor are engaged in a spite fight. If your initial efforts to
work with the responsible party fail then the next actions will be more
successful if you are supported by your neighbors and/or your homeowners
association.

File a Complaint
Most nuisances can be reported to your local zoning or
code-enforcement agency. As stated earlier, the CEDS survey showed
that filing a complaint was the most effective action and resolved 61% of
the nuisances.

Seek Help from Local Elected Officials
Your County, City or Town councilmember or
commissioner can get things done far more easily then most of us. If
you are dissatisfied with the action taken on your complaint then contact
the local elected official(s) who represent you.

If the preceding actions have failed to resolve
a nuisance then contact CEDS at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org.
We'll be delighted to see if we can help you get the problem solved.
There will not be any charge for this initial advice. And if we can't
nix the nuisance with this no-cost service, we can usually get it for fixed
for a fee as low as $300 to $500.

Traffic:Street
noise or traffic is the most prevalent nuisance and affects 26% of all
neighborhood households. For 11% of household traffic is merely
bothersome while its so bad that the residents of 4% of households say its
got them thinking of moving.

In addition to traffic noise, 2% of those living in neighborhoods composed
of single-family detached homes are bothered by other noise. Of those
living in townhouses or apartments, 17% report noise from their neighbors as
an issue.

Crime:Residents
report that crime is present in 15% of their neighborhoods and 4% find the
level of crime sufficient to cause them to search for another place to live.

Odors:
Bothersome odors affect 3% of neighborhood residents and has caused a third
of these people to search for another home.

Neighborhoods Rated:
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, Americans rate their
neighborhood 7.8 on average. The rating system includes factors in
addition to nuisances such as quality of schools, availability of public
transportation, retail services, building security, police and other
emergency services, etc.

The results of the CEDS
survey generally mirror those of theAmerican Housing Survey.
The most common nuisance reported is speeding on neighborhood streets (67%)
followed by traffic noise (34%), noisy dogs (29%), juvenile misbehavior
(28%). and traffic congestion on neighborhood streets (27). The 17
other nuisances noted by the respondents will be found in: CEDS Neighborhood Nuisances Survey Summary.

Quality of Life Impact:
Two-thirds reported that nuisances cause a somewhat- to moderately-negative
impact to their quality of life. However, 5% said the nuisances were
so bad they they've considered moving.

The survey form provided four options for actions taken to resolve
nuisances. Slightly more then half reported speaking with the person
causing the nuisance and filing a complaint. Two-thirds contacted a
local elected official. Only 11% sought out a lawyer. A number
of other actions were also reported and can be found in the Survey Summary.

Most Effective Actions:
By far, filing a complaint was the most effective action and resulted in
full or partial resolution of a nuisance 61% of the time. Speaking
with the person causing the nuisance was the next most effective (41%)
approach followed by contacting an elected official (38%). Speaking
with a lawyer was the least effective (33%) action.

Advice:
The last question in the CEDS survey asked respondents to offer advice to
others seeking to resolve nuisances. Of the 137 folks who completed
the survey, 93 offered their thoughts on this question. Much of the
advice mirrors what CEDS has found to be the most effective approach for
eliminating neighborhood nuisances. A summary of this approach
follows.